Media centre

Friday 19 Jul 2019

Cross border passengers urged to check before they travel during West Coast Main Line closure.

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail is advising passengers intending to use the West Coast Main Line to ‘check before they travel’ as a multi-million-pound upgrade of a major railway junction near Warrington begins this weekend.

Between 20 July and 4 August, Network Rail will be upgrading track, cabling, overhead lines and signalling on the busy Acton Grange junction, which is used by more than 260 trains every day – including services from both Edinburgh and Glasgow to Birmingham and London.

While the 16-day, £27 million Great North Rail Project scheme takes place, many train services will be diverted via alternative routes. To enable this vital engineering work to be delivered safely and efficiently.

While train operators and Network Rail have agreed a plan to keep passengers moving throughout the work, this may mean extended journey times or having to change onto different trains or buses for sections of their journeys.

Passengers are being urged to check www.nationalrail.co.uk before travelling so they know exactly what to expect. They are also advised to allow more time for their journeys as services are likely to be busier than usual.

David Golding, acting route managing director for London North Western, said: “The West Coast main line is Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway. It is the economic backbone of Britain.

“With more than 260 trains using this junction every day, it is vital to keep it in good condition. We need to replace it and upgrade it to ensure a reliable railway for passengers for many years to come.

“To deliver work of this scale and magnitude, we must close the junction for 16 days this summer. The alternative would be many weekends of disruption to passengers and much higher cost.

“We have worked closely with our train and freight operator colleagues to minimise the disruption and to keep as many trains moving as possible. I would urge passengers to plan ahead and check before they travel at www.nationalrail.co.uk.”

This section of the West Coast main line helps connect Chester and Warrington to Manchester in the east and Wigan, Preston, the Lake District and Scotland to the West Midlands and London.

The vital upgrade this summer will bring the outdated track and equipment up to modern standards and further improve the reliability of the economically important West Coast main line.

For more information on the work and impact visit www.networkrail.co.uk/WCMLActonGrange